I’ve been noticing for some time now how I keep myself in ‘fight or flight’ by keeping my technology ever accessible. I have noticed how particularly my phone is always close, and I have an awareness about what is going on with it at all times. I even, and it’s a bit vulnerable to share, pick it up in the middle of the night to check various things I definitely have no need to check at 3am.
It’s like it’s a limb, a part of me that needs to be looked after and paid attention to. To be honest it gets far more attention and care than either my legs or arms do! And it is adding to an ongoing rumble of anxiety.
Until today.
Today I have my phone on airplane mode. And the difference is amazing. I am not stepping away from what I am focussing on every few minutes to respond to a message, or check whether an update has come through on social media. I am so much more productive. And much more important than that, I feel calm. I know that by not constantly checking, I am giving myself the chance to move away from ‘high alert’ and into a more relaxed, paced, considered approach to life.
My commitment to myself is to find some time each day to go offline. To notice how it feels to have 1 hour, 2 hours, heck, 10 hours away from the fast paced ever moving world in my little hand held device.
I invite you to do the same. We are in challenging times, and we need to do all we can to prioritise our wellbeing. Maybe stepping away from technology regularly could be the tonic we all need.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird